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To teach your guinea pig that you are the boss, you must assert your dominance. Do this by either blowing in the guinea pig’s face or picking up a few hairs on the back of their neck and pulling them. Mother guinea pigs make their offspring behave by pulling the hairs on the back of their necks, so this usually works very well.
Be extremely careful NOT to whine or cry the way that a guinea pig does when it is hurt. The message you’re sending when you do this is that you are the weak one and that your guinea pig is the dominant one. You are reinforcing the biting behavior.
Yelling and hitting rarely work on any living creature guinea pigs included. The more you yell and hit a guinea pig, the more likely it is to be stressed, frightened and ready to bite again.
Even though the possibility of your guinea pig actually biting is very low, be on the safe side and handle the animal yourself for the first few days, before giving your child permission to play with it.
Holding
Being able to pet, hold and carry a pet is an exciting activity for most children. Guinea pigs are easy to pick up and hold, much more so than hamsters or gerbils. They are not too big for little children to lift and not so small that they will slip between their hands.
Often, a child’s natural inclination is to grab a guinea pig around its middle, or worse, lift it by its feet. This could definitely injure your guinea pig. The best way to pick up your pet is in a cradle-like manner. Put one hand against the chest and with the other hand gently cup their rear. Now, slowly lift the guinea pig out of its cage and then place it on your lap, on the floor or against your chest. As long as the guinea pig is near you or its feet are on something solid, it feels safe.
If your guinea pig wiggles and squirms that means it is scared and you are probably not holding it correctly. How long you can hold a guinea pig depends on how active it is. Energetic animals will only sit still for a short time.
Let small children practice holding their guinea pig with a stuffed animal. Show them the proper way to cradle the guinea pig and watch as they pick up their stuffed animal and hold it. Talk to them about how it feels to be squeezed too hard and emphasize the feelings of the guinea pig.
Guinea Pigs Previous Page (22)
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